Understanding Racial and Ethnic Inequities in Uptake and Outcomes Following Multigene Prognostic Testing in Early Breast Cancer: The Promise of Real-World Data

Abstract

In the past decades, multigene prognostic testing, such as Oncotype DX (ODX), has been increasingly used to inform treatment decisions for patients with early-stage breast cancer. This advance in precision oncology has increased existing concerns about differential access to genomic testing across racial and ethnic groups. The investigation by Moore and colleagues, analyzing real-world data from the National Cancer Database, shows that patients of color with breast cancer were less likely to receive ODX testing and Black patients were more likely to have a high risk Recurrence Score (RS) compared with White patients. This study emphasizes that the appropriate adoption of ODX testing is critical to promote equitable cancer care for patients with breast cancer. The reported associations on overall survival across specific racial and ethnic groups provided here give additional insight to the known associations between the ODX RS and outcomes of distant recurrence and cancer-specific mortality. Analyses of contemporary, real-world data from diverse populations with long-term follow-up should continue to keep pace with the expansion of precision breast cancer care to better understand and mitigate potentially widening inequities in genomic testing. See related article by Moore et al., p. 821.